


Just Like Heaven

by stevenmeeks



Category: Black Monday (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, American Football, Closeted Character, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fraternities & Sororities, Golf, Light Angst, M/M, Matchmaking, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:01:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevenmeeks/pseuds/stevenmeeks
Summary: Blair Pfaff had started his freshman year at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. Although he was eager to start a new chapter after high school, most events in his college career so far seem to be working in the opposite way of what he'd hoped.Just when he thought he was getting used to college life, he met Roger Harris.
Relationships: Corky Swafford/Tiff Georgina, Roger Harris & Blair Pfaff, Roger Harris/Blair Pfaff
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	Just Like Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited it's finally done! :) Thank you so much to Rachel and Sam for reading the (very rough) beta version of this chapter. It means a lot, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with the (arguably small) Black Monday fandom. Kudos and comments are always appreciated! <3
> 
> —
> 
> He was wearing a red UPenn crewneck and jeans along with some Nike shoes. He took into account that his jeans weren’t cuffed. Right. Okay.

Being a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania hadn’t been as rewarding as Blair Pfaff thought it was going to be. From wimping out of the fraternity planning process, to being required to join an a cappella group on campus, Blair wasn’t having exactly the best start to what was meant to be the best four years of his life. 

Sure, he was grateful to be at UPenn in the first place, considering where he’d come from, yet a part of him wished he’d gone to college locally to stay close to his family. Blair came from the largest family he knew. Well, perhaps that was an overstatement; yet Blair believed that no large family acted the ways his did. They packed pretty tight in their compacted townhouse in the neighborhood district; all six of Blair’s siblings  _ plus _ him and his mother. 

Growing up with long commutes to and from his father’s house (which was an hour away) and being so involved in his family life; Blair was used to change. He was especially used to the sort of change he had no control over, which explained his cool-headedness about his parent’s divorce at an early age. He liked to think it made his family closer — Blair acting as a guardian for his younger siblings. Blair was almost perfectly in the middle of his six siblings; with two older siblings (twenty-five and twenty-two) and three younger siblings (two seven-year-olds and a fifteen-year-old). Blair loved his younger siblings to bits; even if they were a bit younger than him. Their age difference only meant that Blair got to spend more time looking after them and caring for them when their mother couldn’t. 

His older siblings had done the same for him — staying at home, doing chores he wasn’t old enough to think of, and most importantly; his older siblings showed Blair the ropes around his household and in life. He needed them as much as his younger siblings needed  _ him, _ yet it was Blair who was stepping away from the life he’d known forever in upstate New York. 

And he was right, too. It  _ was _ what he’d known. He hadn’t seen much else besides the one time his father had taken him to New York City when he was young, so he felt he had a sort of right to be frustrated about making his college decision. Blair grew up in Malone, New York, which is far upstate New York. Because of being so far up north, Blair’s life was almost solely lived in the town. Which wasn’t a bad place to be; considering it was one of the larger cities surrounding him. Yet a part of him wanted to leave. He knew everyone in the town, and there were parts of him he didn’t think could  _ stay _ in upstate New York, especially the parts of him that he regretted ever telling his mother. 

He’d come out to his mother one night by accident. They never fought; Blair loved his mother. Yet, it had just slipped out in a way of defense. He had guessed that she’d accept him for who he was; considering he’d been heavily involved in the drama department in high school. It was a night before work like any other, and Blair had had an awful day at school. He didn’t want to talk, but showed it when his mother got home from work and pried on him to answer any questions. They were fighting, exchanging meaningless insults back and forth, and then it slipped out. ‘ _ Maybe you wouldn’t feel this way if I wasn’t gay! _ ’ He’d yelled, which left an awkward silence between them both. He’d gone to his room for the rest of the night and they didn’t speak for the rest of the week. Blair loved his mother and felt content with their situation, but at the same time, he wished for more. He wished he was able to live in a house that was considered  _ normal _ , in a place where he would have no issue with the choice of paying for school or even thinking about his future. Before college, he had no idea where he was going. He was frustrated and confused by not knowing what his future held. At least his best friend, Tiff, would be there to help him along the way and help him understand how he would be able to turn his life around; and it all started with one conversation between them. 

Tiff Georgina had been his best friend since diapers. He would always beg his mother to go over to Tiff’s house when he had nothing else to do. It was the only way he felt like he had any connection to the outside world. Tiff lived on the outskirts of town in a much larger house (it even had another floor), and it felt like a treat and a home away from home to be able to visit his best friend on the weekends and even have her drive him to her house after school, even though he could’ve taken the bus just as well. Tiff lived the life he wanted to, and got the grades to show it. She excelled in everything that she did; whether it be academics, drama (which is where they spent most of their time together), and a handful of extracurriculars. To bring himself back down to earth, Blair constantly reminded himself that there was no comparison between him and Tiff. Tiff was achieving without an issue, and Blair was working a night shift at CVS to help make ends meet for the rest of his family and to support his college funding. They were the most unlikely pair, yet they were the best of friends. 

It wasn’t like he was going to go somewhere fanciful. He’d always pictured a SUNY for his future. The closest one was in Potsdam; and it wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t expensive, either. He knew he wouldn’t have an issue with getting accepted, yet part of him still felt insecure when he finally worked up the courage to send in his application. He had done a similar walkthrough of events for the other SUNY schools — hoping for the best and closing his eyes anxiously when he’d press the “submit application” button. SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Canton were the other two he remembered. He was content with it, too. He wanted to be able to drive his car home and be able to do the same that his older siblings did for him; by caring for them, teaching them the ropes, and how to survive not only high school but for life as well. 

He was excited to stay home, even if it meant that he was going to have a tougher chance of  _ getting out _ of town when he finished undergrad. Yet his college counselor had other plans for Blair. Blair had always been a go-getter, a guy who wanted to get things done but  _ only _ when they were perfectly executed. Blair had never been the type to slack or give in to any peer pressure to do and explore the things around him (at least, to the extent his counselor and the school were concerned; they didn’t know what Blair had gotten into in his free time). 

That’s when his college counselor decided to introduce Blair to the school he knew he aspired to go to:  _ the _ University of Pennsylvania. The only reason Blair adored the school was because his father went and ‘had the time of his life’. Blair could probably remark all of his father’s great adventures and turmoils through college at UPenn because of how many different stories he’d heard with their short times together. 

Blair hadn’t even thought about applying, yet he did after his counselor brought it up. Mostly, though, it was because of Tiff. Tiff had always talked about their “dream plan”, which was devised entirely in one night by Blair and Tiff while they were  _ very high _ and joking about their futures while watching Dirty Dancing. That was also the night that Blair tried to do the iconic lift scene with her from Dirty Dancing, but instead accidentally dropped her and they both got minor concussions.  During their (very rare) session of opening up to one another and trying to perfect their dance moves, Tiff had stopped to tell Blair about her passion for fashion and business. She  _ wanted _ to go somewhere where she could succeed. The kicker was that she wanted Blair to go wherever she went.  Even though Blair had been high enough to think Tiff was invisible and he was talking to a ghost, he’d agreed about their applications to the University of Pennsylvania (Blair tried to act surprised when his college counselor had instructed him to apply). Then it was set. They were both to apply, but Blair to apply for financial aid and also a few scholarships along the way. 

That was his one other school. He and Tiff had sworn they’d apply Early Decision, which would mean they were automatically admitted into the school. Blair vividly remembered opening the mailbox to see his package from UPenn came, stamped, and sealed. He’d never called Tiff faster than at that moment. He remembered the  _ excitement _ they shared over the phone when they found out they were going to college together, even if it was further away than he’d hoped. His mother was beyond proud. Blair had gotten in on a hefty scholarship for his diversity in extracurriculars and excelling in academics in not only the arts but also in science. 

Science was one of his true passions. Moreover, computer programming and computer science had most recently become the center of Blair’s attention. Since he’d had the pleasure of taking an online AP Computer Science A course, he’d fell in love with programming computers and learning more about  _ why _ and  _ how  _ they work and decoding intricate algorithms throughout. He’d never had access to a computer as a kid himself, only playing on Tiff’s monitor when he’d come over to hang out with her. Somehow he owed his passions  _ and _ his scholarship all back to where it all started: his friendship with Tiff. He knew he wouldn’t be where he was today if it weren’t for Tiff. 

That was that. That was his decision. It was binding, too, which meant they’d be off to UPenn in the fall. Tiff seemed to have a more than easy time in saying goodbye to her parents, while it was a little more difficult for Blair to cope with. He’d grown closer to all of his siblings during the last summer, and to leave them with their mother felt absolutely devastating. He didn’t know what the youngest twins would do when they were the only two left. He felt thankful that they were at least in it together. Blair had been an outlier in everything; school, athletics (gymnastics seemed to be the only thing he could  _ actually _ do well), performing arts, and activities outside of school. He was hoping his siblings didn’t feel the same way. He wanted so badly to watch them succeed. 

—

Blair remembered the day they packed up to go. Tiff drove him  _ and _ herself up (without any parental unit to supervise them) to the main campus to check-in and get situated for orientation. While everything was happening and they got their first-year dorm assignments, Blair couldn’t keep his eyes off of one thing. The  _ fraternity booths _ . Blair’s father had been in the chapter of Sigma Chi at UPenn years ago, and that was the one promise that Blair had made to his father when he had last contacted him; he’d get involved in the fraternity. He truly thought it was the only way his father would appreciate him. 

It wasn’t like he wasn’t interested in other things, either, but he’d already lost Tiff in the crowd of organizations, so he decided to take it on himself to figure everything out and maybe even get information for a work-study that he’d be able to get some extra money on the side with. He picked up some flyers about different a cappella groups on campus (he was required, through his scholarship, to remain involved in the arts at UPenn all four years), and even a work-study opportunity at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in the student center. 

Tiff hadn’t had a problem getting to know people as well. She’d become quickly interested in one of the bigger fashion clubs on campus, grabbing a few people’s numbers as well as contact information for updates on rushing and pledging for sororities. Blair had barely been able to get anyone’s number. 

—

Blair had crashed and burned out of the pledging process for Sigma Chi. It felt like arguably the hardest thing he had ever done. He really wasn’t ready to drink from a toilet (it wasn’t even the worst part). However, one good thing  _ did _ come out of it. Blair had met Yassir X, who was a junior at UPenn and majoring in gender studies. Blair was hesitant about anyone in a fraternity at first, but Yassir was genuinely nice to Blair, helping him figure his way  _ out _ of the pledging process and giving him information on everyone he could possibly need information on. To Blair, Yassir was his source for anything. Yassir had been through the pledging process  _ twice.  _ He’d actually been involved in Sigma Chi his freshman year but left because he had a scrap with one of the brothers in the fraternity. Instead, he’d pledged again his sophomore year, and was now the treasurer for another, a less-involved fraternity on campus. Blair could successfully say that Yassir was his first (new) friend, and Blair quickly came to appreciate his knowledge about the campus. 

—

Blair and Tiff had a (partially) steady start of the school year. They’d both easily settled into their majors: computer programming and fashion merchandising and business, respectively. Blair was astonished so far that Tiff was able to pull off a double major in fashion merchandising and business, but at the same time he had no doubt that she’d be able to pull it off, knowing Tiff. He was proud of her for pulling through on it, and still being able to make friends and pledge to a sorority. As far as friendships went, there was one person in particular that Tiff and Blair had talked about on one of their basic study dates at the beginning of the year: Corky Swafford. Sure, Blair had become fast friends with Yassir and shared his excitement about their friendship, but Tiff had told Blair next to nothing about Corky except that she came from Exeter and that she was highly regarded in not only the sorority world but also the communications major side of things. 

When Tiff talked about Corky, Blair could sense that their friendship was really blossoming (as much as he could tell) and that Tiff really enjoyed hanging out with her and getting to know UPenn through her. Corky was a junior there, and was offered a partial scholarship due to her legacy heritage; her mother had attended UPenn and also conveniently been in the same sorority as she was in now. Blair started to wonder why that wasn’t the case for him. 

Blair was happy for Tiff nonetheless. It seemed like Corky and Tiff got along just fine, and that was alright for them. He figured he most definitely wouldn’t find anyone who was nicer than Yassir, and he  _ also  _ figured that he hadn’t met half the people on campus yet, so it was too early to make any assumptions about anyone. 

However, he didn’t have any issues making assumptions about  _ one _ person in particular. 

—

Everything has finally begun to fall into place. Dorms, scheduling, friendships, homesickness alike. Then he met  **him** . Sure, Corky had been nothing but nice, and Tiff had been the best partner-in-crime he could’ve asked for; but  _ he _ was different. He could remember how each of his friends described him: 

**Roger Harris;** _ as described by Yassir X. _

“I have never met a more disgusting human being. Well, I don’t want to  _ call _ him disgusting because obviously it just feeds his selfish ego but — still. That guy has probably slept with every girl on this campus.”

“And that’s a bad thing to you because—?” 

“And that’s a bad thing because he  _ cheated _ on his girlfriend. That girl Corky, dude. They’ve got history, but I don’t think I should say anything about shit that I don’t even know about. But still; he’s an ass. Stay away from him, I hate him  _ so  _ much. I don’t even understand what he thinks his purpose is on campus. Like, we all  _ busted our asses _ to get where we are now, but all he had to do was make sure daddy put enough zeros at the end of a check to ship him off. Same with Corky. Think they went to high school together. That fancy one in New England. Exeter. Yeah. What I’m trying to say is it’s better to stay away from him. He’s an asshole and he’s evil as hell.  _ I _ hate him.” 

**Roger Harris;** _ as described by Tiffany Georgina.  _

“ _ Evil? _ Who the hell told you that Roger was  _ evil?  _ You know what? Never mind. I don’t even want to know who would say that because I think it would make me pretty mad.”

“Well, if you want to know, it was—“

“Blair! Seriously. You asked for my opinion. I’m  _ giving you it _ . Appreciation, please? Anyways, Roger Harris. I  _ personally _ love that man, obviously, your friend doesn’t. And have you even met Roger?”

“I haven’t exactly met—“ 

“Exactly. So what’s your issue? Talking about how mean and nasty he is when you haven’t even met him. Sure, he’s in a frat and  **sure** , he has a  _ history _ with Corky, I know. That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly a terrible person. People in frats can be nice, you know. The valedictorian of our graduating class last year just pledged to a frat at Brown, remember him?”

“Tiff, he was a horrible person, he just had good gra—“

“That’s really not the point. Anyways, what I guess I’m trying to say is that you need to loosen up, Blair Pfaff. All these years and I’ve never seen you make such a snap judgment about someone like that. I’m honestly offended. Are you jealous that I met someone before you did for once? Listen, honey, I know the frat thing didn’t work out for you, and that’s okay. Not all UPenn men are meant for it, even if it was a part of your heritage or something. You can try and rush again if you really want to. For now, I think you should just stick to getting your priorities straight. Don’t be mean to him; you barely know him! I’ll see you at the football game on Monday. Don’t fuck this up for me, okay?” 

And that was that. That brought him up to present-day: where Blair was sitting on his bunk bed, staring up at the ceiling, and deciding whether he actually wanted to go to the football game. He’d spent a couple of hours working his shift at the CDI with one of his friends he’d actually made (without Tiff’s help, which said a lot) beforehand, Dawn, who had almost convinced him to come to the football game later that night. It wasn’t as if Tiff had been begging him for the last several days. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to go to  _ one _ at least. What was the college experience without a football game? 

He had made up his mind, even if it took a little extra persuading. He silently thanked Tiff and Dawn both mentally for persuading him to go. He stood up, ran a hand through his hair, and went to his dresser. He picked out a pair of jeans, vans, and his already (almost) worn out UPenn t-shirt. With the change in his wardrobe, he quickly called Tiff, brought the phone up to his ear and waited for her to reply. 

“Hey, Tiff? I promised, right? I’ll see you in ten minutes at the stadium.  _ Please _ bring anything to pass the time, it’s going to take a prayer to get me through this stupid game.” He murmured as he pulled on a jacket and got ready to head out. 

—

The stadium was packed, but Blair didn’t have a problem finding Tiff, who was waving her hands excitedly in the hopes that Blair would spot her. She was next to a taller woman with blonde hair who he expected to be Corky. They found their way to the student-seating, where Dawn was waiting for him. He sat between the two groups, Yassir, Dawn, and Mo on one side, and Tiff and Corky on the other. Tiff had left a spot open between her and Corky, Blair assumed it was a spot to put sweatshirts and drinks and other things, so he didn’t pay it much mind. Instead, he decided to talk to Tiff. 

“Hey! Kind of crazy time, isn’t it? We’ve only been here for a month and all of  _ this _ is happening. I’ve never been to a football game like this before!” Blair tried to talk over the noise, coming closer to Tiff with a smile as they both relaxed in their seats. 

“I know! I’m actually really glad you came. Who’s on the other side?” Tiff asked with a smile, giving Blair a quick nudge and looking over. 

“Well, that’s Dawn. She works with me at the CDI in the student center. Mo and her are pretty close, though I don’t know him that well. He’s also Yassir’s roommate, I’m pretty sure. The guy on the far side is Yassir, remember? Told you about him, he was one of the first guys I met here.” Blair explained as the game started. 

Before the kickoff, Tiff quickly looked over to see Corky getting up to let someone through that he’d never seen before. It was a boy. Sure, Blair had met plenty of guys through a lot of different things, but he still couldn’t help but try and put together the pieces. 

“Hey, Tiff. Mother. Really sorry I was late, I got held up with some frat stuff, but I’m here now, right?” He smiled at them, Tiff taking back her sweatshirt which was draped over the seat to save for him. He quickly sat down, but not before giving a quick look to Blair. 

That quick look was more than enough. The guy was so handsome somehow, even if he’d only seen him for two seconds. Maybe it was the stadium lighting or maybe it was how Blair had already prepared himself to fall asleep during the game, but the guy was actually  _ cute.  _ He had no idea who he was, but he couldn’t help from letting his chest heat up when he saw him in front of him. It was nice to just take him in (if that didn’t sound creepy already). He was wearing a red UPenn crewneck and jeans along with some Nike shoes. He took into account that his jeans weren’t cuffed. Right. Okay. 

He honestly had no idea what to say to him, and the two of them just looked at each other in silence for a moment. It was a knowing glance between them, and the only thing that knocked Blair out of it,  _ literally _ , was Tiff kicking him in the leg. 

“Hey, I’m Blair,” Blair managed to get out, looking up at him as he felt his face heat up beet red. Thank God Yassir was occupied in talking to Mo and Dawn at the moment, because he knew he looked like a total idiot. Tiff saw the whole thing unravel between him and Blair. “I’m Tiff’s friend.” 

“Nice to meet you,” The boy said, giving Blair a curt nod before cracking a grin. “I’m Roger Harris.” 

Fuck. 


End file.
